Florida’s Invaders–Capybara | Daily Kos

Well, this is interesting! Is there really a herd of capybaras living Wild & Free in Florida? I’m ready to fly down there to see for myself! Is this a real photo of them, or some stock photo of zoo capys? SO MANY QUESTIONS!

Where’s the grass?

From the article:

“In 1995, a wildlife facility near Gainesville was keeping a group of Capybaras for research when a number of them escaped and vanished into the nearby swamps. Today, the wild Gainesville Capybara colony numbers at least 60 individuals. Elsewhere in Florida, escaped/released pets (kept illegally) often turn up: there have been reports from the Santa Fe, Myakka, and Suwanee Rivers and from the Everglades, and road-killed Capybaras have been confirmed in several places across Florida. In 2001, two young Capybaras managed to escape from the Jacksonville Zoo; one was killed by a car, and during the search for the escapees an unrelated adult female was also found living in the area.”